AHMEDABAD, JUNE 12: Sonia Gandhi ventured into the marsh and slush of Kandla for just a 50-minute look at the biggest natural calamity since she took to active politics.But she rested at the Bhuj air strip for three hours because her plane developed a snag. And all the while a battalion of district police and National Security Guards (NSG) stood guard with the additional Collector at her service.The Bhuj administration, aching to its bones, was whipped into frenzy as it had another Z-plus guest in Union Home Minister LK Advani. From the District Collector to the SP to the Commissioners, all of them made their presence felt. High-profile Ministers from Gandhinagar and bureaucrats from Delhi were part of the Advani entourage.These are not the only instances. At Jamnagar on Wednesday a whole truck load of policemen guarded Chief Minister Keshubhai's chopper for seven hours as he went to Porbandar and came back. And all this while the victims, the hapless and the uncared for who needed them most,unobtrusively and meekly made their way inland on whatever transport they could find. They were not waiting for the administration because the administration was telling the Union Home Minister and the Union Relief Commissioner stories about how they had been rescued.Are all these high-profile trips really necessary? What concrete results do they produce? These are the questions being asked by both victims and relief workers. ``I think my visit was absolutely necessary. I think journalists should also go there, since it will be beneficial,'' says Advani.``Why can't these visits be like the visit of the Army Generals to the forward posts. Only those soldiers required are present, rest are on their duty,'' suggests a BSF assistant commandant engaged in relief work at Kandla.``It is a catch-22 situation. The Chief Minister knows that the administration will be attending to him rather than relief work but if he does not go at all and issues orders from Gandhinagar the Press and the Opposition will gowild accusing him of insensitivity towards the people,'' says Kuntal Sanghvi, a close associate of the Chief Minister.``We always dread these high-profile visitors during times of crisis. The relief amount comes only after survey teams have given their assessment. So basically these visits amount to nothing but self-publicity,'' says a bureaucrat.
